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Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 14:42:08 -0400
From: Ben Gott <ben@loquaciousmusic.com>
Subject: Thomas 'n' Andy
Message-ID: <003795D9-65C2-4734-8EB9-9CC24E1753B7@loquaciousmusic.com>
Hi gang,
I finally ordered the delightful reissue of "The Golden Age of
Wireless." I'm very happy with itthe mastering is perfect, thank God
and was especially chuffed to find two bonus tracks: "Urges" and
"Leipzig," both co-produced by Andy Partridge. I'd recommend shelling
out the cash for a new copy of this great album, as it comes with
several bonus tracks (including a kickin' guitar version of "Radio
Silence") and a region-free DVD. And did I mention the remastering job?
-Ben

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Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 19:12:03 -0500
From: "James Lowe" <jamielowe@msn.com>
Subject: [fingertipsmusic] This Week's Finds: September 9
Message-ID: <SNT124-DS7835E42BCB9C019EA85FABEE80@phx.gbl>
Dear Chalkholders,
I have touted the talents of Jeremy Schlosberg and his site Fingertips
before. But the 09/09/09 edition is of particular interest to our ilk. Just
take a look at song number three's description it is right on. The link
should be good if you want to download the songs. If not try here:
http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/this_weeks_finds.htm
And if you have not treated yourself to the new Pugwash/ Tom Walsh record
aka the S/T "Duckworth Lewis Method" it kind of sort of fills the XTC gap if
that is even possible?
Faithfully Listening to XTC since 1979,
Jamie Lowe
http://xtcstickers.jamielowe.net/
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails. - William Arthur Ward

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Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:20:07 -0600
From: "L. Nar" <loc-nar@comcast.net>
Subject: Vote for XTC in blog's 'Tournament of Rock'
Message-ID: <013201ca325c$79f77140$6401a8c0@deckard>
Hey guys, XTC is up against The Byrds, Velvet Underground, Fleetwood Mac
and others in the Scholars & Rogues "Tournament of Rock." Vote (free,
quick, no reg. req'd) for em soon cuz the poll closes in a day. I hope
to see that XTC gets into the next round! This is not a spam, I've been
a Chalkhills lurker on and off for years. Thanks!
Link: http://j.mp/3CyAUk

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Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:04:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com>
Subject: "King for a Day" is the MySpace song of the week
Message-ID: <781334.64345.qm@web32003.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Hi:
Over at the XTCfans MySpace site (http://www.myspace.com/xtcfans), the
song of the week is "King for a Day."
If you want to know how the band met Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett
during the O&L sessions, or how Chris Squire intimidated Colin during
a take, check out the XTCfans blog site at
http://blog.myspace.com/xtcfans.
Everyone's creeping up to the money god
Putting tongues where they didn't ought to be...
-Todd

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Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:25:38 -0400
From: Kevin wollenweber <dancingweed@optonline.net>
Subject: Watchin' All The Girls Go By!
Message-ID: <0KPY002S21L1TC30@mta5.srv.hcvlny.cv.net>
Hello, fellow Chalkers:
Oh yes, all those stunning Beatles records. I did indeed buy the boxes,
both of them! I'm delighted that I got a second chance to do this kind of
collecting and, this time, do it right!
Oddly enough, the early Beatles, for me, was soundtrack to watching the
young girls dancing and working up a sweat on shows like "AMERICAN
BANDSTAND", so my mind was not entirely on the music or exactly what music
was playing. This doesn't mean that the music was insignificant. I
thoroughly enjoyed the "ED SULLIVAN SHOW" appearances, but the lads were
playing to those screaming girls and, well, I was busy watching and drooling
over those girls and how they were dressing, even though I was only 11 years
old in 1964.
My musical awakening was in high school, around 1969. I had been out of
touch with the Beatles for a while, until I had this chance to look through
my former brother-in-law's record collection and spot albums like REVOLVER,
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR and learn
where the guys had gone to and grown from. I also became aware of
progressive radio of that period and cherished it like a dear friend. From
that point on, along with so many other great bands of that period, I
followed the music until the unfortunate breakup of the group. I was
disappointed at their breakup, just as they were, to me, getting really
creative and special and interesting with each new album. Little did I know
that the group was disintegrating by the release of that packed "white"
album with the group's name engraved in its cover.
Of course, I had a similar experience with XTC. I'd been listening to them
since BLACK SEA and really hoped that they'd stick around as they aged and
grew as musicians and songwriters.
I guess that we cannot expect our icons to always be there-the old
unfortunate adage that "nothing lasts forever", especially something good.
But at least now, the music is being treated well, and the wait was all
worth it! Any further reviewing for me will just sound as if I'm a shill
for the record company, but here is an example where the record company did
incredible work here in making sure we got the absolute finest masters
compiled in these boxes. No matter how you all buy these albums, you'd be
getting some incredible music, and it is worthwhile to buy all the albums
just to reacquaint yourself with some of those early songs that you might
have forgotten either while screaming (if you were female) or feeling major
carnal urges watching the girls wriggling wildly around to the tunes (if you
were male)! Whatever the stuff does to you, now, it all sounds as fresh and
new again as it did when you heard it on your transistor radio all those
years ago!
Here's to hoping that XTC will be given such royalty one day.
And all these guys from our favorite band are still with us. Andy is still
creating, and we hope there are many, many more generous years for that, but
only if Andy and Colin themselves desire it! for the money alone is no way
to make music in its purest form!
Kevin Wollenweber

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Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:34:28 -0700
From: Wayne Klein <wtdk123@msn.com>
Subject: Duking it out with The Beatles
Message-ID: <BAY108-W26AA6AC0988AE369FE8CD3F9E40@phx.gbl>
> Word on the wire has it the improvement is stunning -- you can hear
> Ringo's fag ash hitting the studio floor! you can hear Yoko's body
> hair growing! -- but I want to read some reviews first, and I'd rather
> get the good word from Chalkfolk than from anyone else. So, if your
> first spin on Sept. 9 transports you to Abbey Road Studios and plants
> you onto an engineer's stool at the left hand of George Martin, please
> talk about it here.
>
> If Andy himself writes such a review in the *Swindon Chipwrapper*,
> would someone post the link?
>
> Ryan Anthony
Well Ryan here's my review of the mono boxed set which if you want remasters
that haven't been futzed with is the way to go. Of the stereo remasters all
I can say is that all of them have some compression and that Allan Rouse
mentioned that he used "transparent peak limiting" which essentially means
that it doesn't leave as many noticeable artifacts although it does rob the
music of some of it's dynamics. The good news is that even with these issues
most of the stereo sound pretty good with the earliest titles benefiting the
most. "Beatles for Sale" and "A Hard Day's Night" sound pretty good overall.
Amazing how much The Beatles stole from our heroes the Dukes...
Oops. For some reason the review page isn't up yet. It should be at
http://www.dvdivas.net/INDEX-
PROGRESSIVELAND.html
I'd check back later in the week.
> "Australian filmmaker John Safran is so fed up with mormons ringing his
> doorbell early in the morning that he flies to Salt Lake City Utah and
> tries to convert Mormons to atheism. Needless to say, the locals were
> not pleased."
>
> at 4:10 into the video: "May I offer you a reading from 1980's concept
> band XTC?" and there's a brief shot of Andy and Colin.
Well this sounds like a chuckle. It could only have been improved if Andy
went door to door with Safran. I'm a bit tired of door-to-door for everyone
so when I answer it I say something along the lines of "sorry I worship the
devil" or some such nonsense. It turns them away in an instant although my
daughter says I'll pay for it IF there is an afterlife...
> Tyler pointed out that:
>
> "I just found this online:
>http://www.avclub.com/articles/warner-archives-releases-urgh-bad-ronald-mikes-mur,31885/
>
> Warner Archives, the dvd on demand service that reissues old movies,
> will be releasing Urgh! A Music War. Don't know the date, but
> hopefully soon."
I found the image quality on this so-so. They probably should have gone for
a dual layer DVD-R for this since it would have prevented compression
artifacts. I doubt though that we'll see this reissued on regular DVD
anytime soon since Warner Archive releases focuses on "specialty" titles and
they choose to reissue these on DVD-R vs. license it out.

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Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:20:38 +0200
From: don device <dondevice@noos.fr>
Subject: Beatles Redux
Message-ID: <A5464D9A-6DA0-43DF-9F7C-F5AB6F231FA4@noos.fr>
OK,
I've only got to Revolver.. And I keep playing the two versions of
'Taxman' over and over. I'd never really been able to distinguish the
percussion in the right channel... Wow! And the 'th' on 'Taxman.. My
Heathhhh!' is hissingly great!
I'll write more later, but for now, I'm just knocked out and swimming
in the pleasure of rediscovering this disc (I've got this, Rubber Soul
(OK, so I'm not following chronological order, but personal
preference!), Sgt Pepper's and Abbey Road...)
I'd love the dosh to buy the Mono Bos Set, but I just don't.. but
Tomorrow Never Knows;. Hey, let me hear that one!
Best,
d2

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Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:23:58 -0700
From: idahlberg@verizon.net
Subject: Mother Mother
Message-ID: <F4741AD8-65FD-43EF-95A8-9BD437C67B44@verizon.net>
I have to second dm's recommendation for "O My Heart" from Mother
Mother. It's not often a great pop song grabs me like that. Great
vocal arrangements, form, phrasing, lyrics. It'll lodge in your head -
very catchy. A great jolt from any pop dry spell you may be in. You
can, of course, hear the whole thing on YouTube somewhere (official
video is out). Equally catchy is "Wrecking Ball." Great stuff. Yummy
even!
XTC content - Buy my Omnibook! :)
http://www.xtcvademecum.org/